Problems · NHTSA complaints

2010 Chevrolet Tahoe problems

Owners filed 319 complaints about the 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe with NHTSA between Apr 2010 and Oct 2025. The most-cited component is air bags (118).

Complaints
319
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
9
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags118
  2. Structure90
  3. Electrical system16
  4. Engine11
  5. Power train6
  6. Electronic stability control (esc)6
  7. Vehicle speed control5
  8. Seats4
  9. Exterior lighting3
  10. Steering3
  11. Visibility2
  12. Forward collision avoidance1
  13. Fuel system, gasoline1
  14. Suspension1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20104
20113
20122
20136
201424
201523
201680
201761
201838
201934
202019
20217
20226
20232
20245
20255

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

118 reports2 crashes3 related recalls
“I have 2 GM vehicles that the Airbag light came on within 3 days of each other and neither has had any such issue ever. [XXX] 2010 Chevy Tahoe LTZ with 285,000 miles [XXX] 2011 Chevy Silverado LS with only 88,500 miles Local dealership wants $180.00 each just to check out the issue I just think this is very coincidental.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 27, 2025Air bagsODI 11690078

Structure

90 reports
“The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at slow speeds into a parking area, the passenger's side of the vehicle collapsed, rendering the vehicle inoperable. The contact stated that shortly afterwards, Roadside Assistance arrived to tow the vehicle and observed that the frame had split down the center. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 240,000. The VIN was not available.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 1, 2024StructureODI 11605937

Electrical system

16 reports
“Dear NHTSA Please Help Me With This Issues I Buy This Car From Capitol Chevrolet In San Jose CA And This Car Since Was Purchased I Been Having To Many Issues Please Help And Contact Me To See If I Can Get My Money Back Sincerely [XXX] [XXX] [XXX]”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 19, 2024Electrical system, Engine, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11615496

Engine

11 reports
“The vehicle randomly loses or gains power while driving. All of the auto locks go up and down, while the cluster goes in and out with very high rpms and then completely loses power in the middle of the road. Or this happens and the steering gets very tough. It is very dangerous because there are times where it happens on the highway while doing up to 80mph. It also happens when sitting at line to pick up my child in pre-k. If it were to jump and the brakes weren’t hit fast enough it could really cause a horrible and possibly deadly situation. I have done everything that I can on my end with this truck. I recently replaced the battery and replaced the master fuse since reading it was the cause. That lasted for a week. I have read hundreds of owners with the same problems that have went to private owned mechanic shops along with gm certified mechanic shops. They have yet to find an answer to this possibly deadly malfunction. There are posts and websites all over sharing other owners with the same problems and all of their stories end the same. That gm along with any mechanic used has yet to find any results to this. I noticed that the 2015 model has a recall for…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 4, 2021Electrical system, Exterior lighting, EngineODI 11439394

Power train

6 reports1 crash
“We purchased a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe from a dealership in Wisconsin in 2022. In 2023, the vehicle’s transmission failed completely at only 128,000 miles. After researching the issue, I discovered that the 6L80E transmission installed in this model year has a long history of mechanical failures, particularly involving the torque converter and internal clutch packs. Numerous consumer complaints report identical failures, and GM has issued multiple service bulletins acknowledging related issues but has not initiated a recall. The repair shop diagnosed the problem as a failed torque converter and damaged internal clutch packs. There were no warning signs, one day the transmission functioned normally, and the next day it failed completely. This failure caused significant financial hardship. I paid over $5,000 for a full transmission rebuild using my credit card, resulting in ongoing interest charges and credit impact. I had to perform balance transfers to manage the debt and ease the financial burden. Given the widespread nature of this issue and GM’s acknowledgment of mechanical defects in the 6L80E transmission, I am requesting that GM reimburse repair costs and…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 15, 2025Power trainODI 11693610

Electronic stability control (esc)

6 reports
“WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN OR HIGHWAY , DOOR LOCKS BEGAN POPPING UP AND DOWN, DASH GAUGES WERE GOING CRAZY AND CAR BEGAN TO BE LOSE TOTAL ELECTRICAL POWER. ENGINE CUT OUT AND DIED AND ALMOST REAR ENDED BY SEMI-TRUCK. THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED 20 PLUS TIMES OVER THE PAST 6 MONTHS AND SEVERAL TIMES TIMES THIS WEEK DRIVING IN TOWN AND ALSO ON INTERSTATE 44 IN MISSOURI. THE GM SERVICE TECHNICIAN DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS OR THE CAUSE. THIS ISSUE IS HAPPENING COUNTRY WIDE TO OWNERS OF CHEVY TAHOE'S. THIS VEHICLE IS NOW TO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. MY TAHOE HAS 71,212 MILES ON IT. CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE?”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 24, 2019Electrical system, Electronic stability control (esc), EngineODI 11291029
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.